“Oh, thank God!” Chase grabbed it from me and popped it into Abby’s open mouth just as she started a new round of wailing over her new teeth that she was cutting. She fell silent and stopped trying to climb up his chest. “Seriously, these things are magic.”
“You thought your missions were dangerous as a SEAL. How does a teething baby with a missing binky stack up?”
Chase laughed and cradled Abby as she settled down, happily chewing on the soft pacifier. “They didn’t cover that in basic, that’s for sure.” He planted a kiss on my lips and looked down at my sink full of dishes. “Where’s Jackson? I thought he was helping with dishes tonight?”
“He went next door. His little girlfriend Gracie just got a new puppy and he’s obsessed.”
Chase chuckled. “Lord save us all…”
“I told him he could go over there until it got dark.”
“All right. Well, I’m gonna try putting this one down again and then maybe you and I can get a little alone time…” he said, waggling his brows at me.
“So we can nap?” I teased.
“Eventually,” he replied, tossing me a wink before turning to leave the kitchen.
I wore a smile as I went back to work cleaning the kitchen. An hour later, Jackson came in from playing with the neighbor girl and her puppy, and Chase and I both took him upstairs to read a story.
“Just one more story,” Jackson protested around a wide mouthed yawn.
Chase chuckled and reached over to ruffle his hair. I promptly smoothed it back into place and kissed his brow. “Tomorrow, sweetheart.”
Chase pushed off the side of the bed and started toward the door. I hung back for another moment and stared down into the face of my precious son. “I love you so much, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
I kissed him again and stood up to join Chase at the door. “Goodnight, buddy,” he called softly, not wanting to wake up Abby who was sleeping—finally—in the room next door to Jackson’s.
“Night, Chase. I love you!”
Chase stilled and glanced at me. My heart swelled, realizing it was the first time Jackson had said that to him. “Love you too, bud,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion.
We tiptoed from the room and Chase closed the door without a sound. When I met his eyes there was a glossy sheen coating them. I reached for him and snuggled into his chest. “I love you too.”
He kissed my temple. “You have no idea, baby. No idea.”
“Well, maybe you could show me,” I said, looking up at him, my eyes wide with suggestion.
He grinned. “I can try but it might take a long, long time.”
“All night?”
“It’s very possible.”
I giggled. “That’s fine. Since Abby got here, I’m fueled exclusively by caffeine anyways.”
Chase scooped me up and carried me down the hall to our master suite. He kicked the door closed behind us and took me to bed.
We’d been on a wild ride ever since returning from Manzanilla and life in the cottage on the shore felt almost like a scene from a movie rather than real life. In some ways, the two people who met in a fast food restaurant lobby and set off on a boat, caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, were completely different people than who we were now. Who we’d grown into.
I knew that neither of us had expected it to lead us to where we ended up, but all things considered—it had worked out pretty perfectly. After returning to California, I tried to move back into the house I had shared with Henry, but I couldn’t do it. The ghost of Henry would always live there and I needed to start over. Jackson did too.
So, after a few months, I sold it and rented out the other properties we’d owned together. I dissolved the real estate business, which was on the verge of collapse anyway after the news of Henry’s bad dealings got loose in the media.
Chase and I purchased a beach house in San Diego and a few months after we moved in, I gave birth to our daughter, Abigail. Since then, life had been set on fast forward. Our days were crazy and chaotic, balancing the demands of two children in completely different phases of life. Still, we were happy and at the end of each day, I laid my head on Chase’s chest, knowing that I was loved and protected.
For life.